Volunteer generals worked as farmers after being capturedyears of restoration of reputation.
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In the fifties of the last century, the Korean War broke out, and the flames of war quickly spread to the Yalu River. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese volunteers shouldered heavy responsibilities and marched forward in the face of wind and snow. Their journey had been thousands of miles long, thousands of miles of ice, and they were already exhausted.
However, in the end our hero emerged victorious.
Whether it's war or life, victory always comes at a price. The volunteers faced a harsh environment and a long journey on the battlefield, their ammunition and food ** were seriously insufficient, and everyone struggled in the danger of dying and dying.
Despite this, they persevered to the end, and even if some of them were captured, it could not stop their thirst for victory. Wu Chengde, acting political commissar and director of the political department of the 180th Division of the 60th Army of the Third Corps of the Chinese People's Volunteers, was also captured by the US military, but he never gave up his struggle and never compromised.
He used his tenacity and perseverance to persevere to the end, and finally succeeded in returning to China and returning to a peaceful rural life.
After 70-year-old Wu Chengde returned to a peaceful life, he finally received the honor he deserved, and he was so excited that he burst into tears. Let's look back on that unforgettable history, gain an in-depth understanding of Wu Chengde's arduous journey, and uncover the truth that has been sealed for a long time.
It was on April 22, 1951, that the 180th Division of the 60th Army of the Third Corps of the Volunteer Army, where Wu Chengde belonged, participated in the fifth battle of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, which was the largest battle in the Korean War, and China and North Korea invested more than 1 million troops.
The two sides are at a stalemate on the battlefield and will do whatever it takes to achieve victory. However, the preparation time for this campaign was extremely rushed, and the 180th Division could only bite the bullet.
This is also one of the main reasons for our later misery. The fighting continued until mid-May, and our supplies became more and more strained.
Faced with the immediate predicament, our front-line troops were forced to stop and wait for supplies. This sudden situation adversely affected the situation of the war. ** In view of this situation, the commander-in-chief conducted an in-depth analysis and immediately ordered the offensive to be stopped, and the whole army was transferred to the area north of the 38th parallel for adjustment.
Subsequently, the 180th Division received an order to cover the retreat of the main forces and hold on to the blocking area for at least 3 to 5 days.
In the vicissitudes of war, our army is nervous and ready to meet all kinds of challenges. On May 24, the 180th Division was withdrawing north of Jianghan, when suddenly two enemy forces appeared and attacked our army.
As a result, the troops covering the retreat were in a difficult situation. Faced with this situation, Wei Jie, commander of the 60th Division, decided to hold his position and wait for the arrival of rescue. However, the flames of war spread and the situation was critical, and the army commander had to give an order for the troops to attack bravely and strive to break through the siege.
The 180th Division launched the first battle of the charge, and the two lines of soldiers and horses had successfully broken through, and just as they were about to converge, they were once again surrounded by the enemy's heavy regiments. This time, however, the enemy set up numerous defensive lines with overwhelming forces and equipment.
The 180th Division was already in deep danger, and it was no longer realistic to break through, and Wu Chengde and other soldiers had no idea of retreating. In the face of such a serious situation, each of them understands that it is a battle of life or death.
The hustle and bustle of the battlefield is getting closer, and the sound of gunfire, planes, and tank engines mingles together to make people's hearts beat faster. In order to stabilize everyone's emotions, Wu Chengde organized an emergency party committee, and everyone gathered in the conference room had a heavy and silent expression.
Wu Chengde broke this tranquility and asked, "What do you think should be done?" However, there was still silence in the room, as if no one could find the right answer.
A moment later, someone made a suggestion: "We can disperse the breakout." Hearing this proposal, Wu Chengde was also thinking about this problem.
In war, a dispersed breakout will be chosen only if there is no other option. The current situation makes the majority of people approve of this approach, and it is the only possibility of ensuring victory.
Wu Chengde understands that everyone is trying to win, so his heart is very heavy. He was never completely reassured, so he rode his horse to check the breakout of the various regiments.
While passing through a ravine, the silence was broken by a sudden shout: "Commissar Wu, our injuries are too serious to walk!" Wu Chengde followed the prestige and found that it was a group of wounded soldiers, and they had to stick to the troops, but the current situation was very dangerous, and if they kept walking slowly, their lives could be endangered.
Wu Chengde was very anxious in his heart, and he asked the messenger to quickly find their regiment commander and settle them down as soon as possible. During this time, Wu Chengde still had to pay attention to the situation of the division headquarters at all times, and he couldn't let go of it on both sides.
In the process of chasing the division headquarters, Wu Chengde and others encountered the enemy's searchlights and fires that could be seen everywhere, and the distance between the division headquarters and the enemy was getting closer and closer, and the situation was very critical.
They had to avoid the enemy's search and find the division headquarters as quickly as possible, so the pace of finding the division headquarters quickly on horseback was now a little slower. However, at one mountain pass, they spotted more than 300 wounded by the faint light of a searchlight, and the wounded were so badly wounded that they had to stop to recuperate and not know how to keep up with the main force.
The news of the arrival of Wu Chengde and others seemed to have given the wounded a shot in the arm, and their original expressions of death also saw a glimmer of hope at this moment. Wu Chengde is an important commander in the division headquarters, and he cannot leave the division headquarters alone, still less let the people in the division headquarters panic.
Therefore, they decided to help the wounded recover as quickly as possible and help them keep up with the large army.
The wounded called Wu Chengde as if he were their only hope. "Commissar Wu, I've finally found you! What is the situation with the enemy ahead? Wu Chengde's heart was full of contradictions, facing the wounded and the large army, these two choices made it difficult for him to decide.
If he chooses to catch up, he can quickly catch up with the division, but he can't turn a blind eye to so many wounded. Wu Chengde's heart is full of pain, as a political worker, he has to face difficulties with everyone at a critical moment, and he cannot share weal and woe.
He chose to stay, knowing that it could mean waiting to die, but he remained steadfast in his choice to be with the wounded. ”
Political Commissar Wu had long been aware of the severity of the war, and he would resolutely not leave any of his comrades-in-arms behind. In order to allow the large army to move forward with peace of mind, he made a decision and pointed his gun at his warhorse.
The horse neighed in pain and fell to the ground. Political Commissar Wu divided the wounded into teams of 40 people, each led by one or two cadres, and prepared for the next assault.
After several days of holding, they were unfortunately captured. However, the reality is often not as good as it could be. Even though the wounded were barely able to walk, the U.S. military blocked all roads with firepower and gradually narrowed the encirclement.
This makes their breakthrough more difficult, almost impossible. Faced with this situation, Wu Chengde had no choice but to devise a dangerous guerrilla warfare strategy.
However, this disparity in strength made Wu Chengde feel desperate, the wounded could not be treated in time, and the poor living environment could not be adequately supplied.
All of this led to the sacrifice or silence of the warriors one by one. In the subsequent statistics, Wu Chengde found that he did not chase the large army that participated in the breakout, which was very heavy.
The 180th Division, which originally had more than 10,000 people, only managed to break through with more than 4,000 people in the end, and the remaining 7,000 people were either sacrificed or captured. In the Korean War, more than 20,000 volunteers were captured, and the 180th Division set a record for the largest number of prisoners since the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
In the end, only three people survived from the wounded partisans, and the war did not stop. With a firm will and trust in the motherland, Oh Sung-deok and his fighters persisted in guerrilla warfare near the 37th parallel of North Korea until they ran out of ammunition and food, which lasted for a total of 14 months.
This is a feat that is unimaginable to ordinary people. Eventually, they were discovered by the U.S. Army and forced to be captured due to physical exhaustion. Wu Chengde became a prisoner of the highest position in the Volunteer Army.
He was escorted to the Busan War Criminals Prison, where he was subjected to endless torture. However, he never gave up his dream of returning to his homeland, firmly believing that the motherland would not abandon him.
In July 1951, the Korean War armistice negotiations officially began. After two years of arduous negotiations, on July 27, 1953, the armistice agreement came into effect and the Korean War was declared.
Before the signing of the armistice agreement, China had already started some prisoner exchange negotiations with the United States. After the armistice came into effect, a large number of prisoners of war embarked on their way home. However, Wu Chengde, the highest-ranking prisoner, is still far away from returning home due to the stubbornness of the US side.
On September 2, 1953, Wu Chengde was finally able to return to his country. That day he will never forget. Hoping to salvage their international image and cover up their mistreatment of prisoners of war, the U.S. military bathed Mr. Wu and dressed him in clean clothes.
Wu Chengde was aware of the sinister intentions of the US military, resolutely refused, and angrily kicked over the bucket and splashed water. However, the U.S. military did not give up, and directly turned on the faucet and rushed at Wu Chengde, and then handed him a set of clean clothes and asked him to change into them.
Although Wu Chengde was soaked all over, he resolutely refused to change into the clothes of the American army, because he believed that people's hearts could not be washed. He leaned quietly against the wall, crouching down to gently stroke the worn galoshes.
It was these shoes that accompanied him through the Korean War, accompanied him through the hardships of a prisoner's life, and now, he has to wear these shoes to return to the bosom of his homeland.
Wu Chengde and his wife Gong Cun waited for the last group of people to return at the place where the prisoners of war were exchanged. The US attempt could not cover up the facts, and no one who knew Wu Chengde well recognized his scrawny appearance.
He was originally strong and only had more than 90 pounds left, and no one knows what kind of ordeal he went through. Wu Chengde was speechless with excitement, and comrades such as Li Kenong, vice minister of the People's Republic of China, and Huang Hua, chief political negotiator, personally met with him and learned about his experience.
The hearts of Wu Chengde and others finally found support in the condolences of their superiors, and they knew that the motherland had been thinking about them and would definitely take them back safely. Thinking of this, Wu Chengde burst into tears.
Although ill-fated, the old age was peaceful. They embarked on the train back home, and the scenery along the way left them with a lot of thoughts, recalling fragments of the day and night war. These two years will be unforgettable for the rest of their lives, and they will never forget them.
The train passed through Dandong and eventually arrived in Shenyang, where they were arranged in the guest house of the Northeast Military Region. Then, they came to the management office of the returned prisoners in Changtu, Liaoning.
The staff conveyed to them the "two cross guidelines", that is, warm care, patient education, strict review, careful handling and proper arrangement. In that particular era, people's minds and cognitions were relatively closed, and they considered "prisoners of war" to be "traitors" or "spies".
Therefore, the staff of the "Restoration Office" told them that the main content of coming here to learn and help each other is to explain themselves. This news made Wu Chengde and others feel very sad.
Wu Chengde was tortured physically and mentally, but he stood firm in his beliefs, and no matter how the enemy coerced and tempted, he resolutely refused to give in. Despite the misunderstanding and distrust he suffered in the "Custody Office", he still did not give up, and his mental exhaustion was extremely serious.
Eventually, he was forced to leave the army and go to Dawa Farm for ideological reform. But he firmly believes that one day the truth will be revealed and justice will be given to him. During the transformation period, he did not give up on himself, but did things in a down-to-earth manner and got along with people, and everyone thought that he was a good soldier who was patriotic and loyal.
He has been waiting for the Motherland to give him a just conclusion, and the cries have never stopped for many years. Finally in 1980, he waited for justice that belonged to him, and the Communist Party of China issued the "Opinions on the Review and Handling of the Problem of the Returned Prisoners of the Volunteers", which made a new summary of the handling of the prisoners and returned personnel of the Volunteers.
Although Wu Chengde was treated as a belated military-level cadre in the army, he didn't care about this, he was more concerned about the fact that years of hard work finally brought him innocence and let a stone in his heart fall to the ground.
His wish has been fulfilled, and he just wants to live out his old age in peace and tranquility, without any strife. He longs to return to the place where he grew up and spend his last days there.
He was a glorious soldier, and his life was worthy of it, and he deserved it. Restoring the honor of Wu Chengde is a sign of respect and affirmation for those soldiers who sacrificed their lives.
He hoped that the world would always be peaceful, and that no more people would suffer the pain of war, and no longer let others experience the suffering he had experienced. He didn't want to see someone familiar sacrifice his life in front of him anymore, and he didn't want to go through the pain of life and death again.
In March 1996, Wu Chengde passed away, and the old chief ***Chai ** and others laid a wreath to him and mourned silently. This great people's hero has left us forever.
The highest-ranking captive in the Volunteer Army remained firm in his convictions in his later years. He had a bumpy experience, but he never gave up.